Fire extinguisher adapter



0d. 23, 1956 s. E. ALLEN FIRE EXTINGUISHER ADAPTER Filed Sept. 25, 1951a WW S INVENTOR. 5007775144 LEN A TTORNE Y United States Patent FIREEXTINGUISHER ADAPTER- Scott E. Allen, Verona, N. J., assignor, by mesneassignments, to The Fyr-Fyter Company, Dayton, Ohio, :1 corporation'ofOhio Application September 25, 1951, Serial No. 248,110

1 Claim. (Cl. 169-31) 'Thepresent invention relates to fireextinguishers, and particularly to an adapterto convert a soda-acid'fireextinguisher to a stored gas-pressurized fire extinguisher.

Portable extinguishers of the soda-acid type are used in greatquantities. In the soda-acid extinguisher water is the basicextinguishing fluid and is expelled by gas pressure developed by thereaction of bicarbonate of soda and sulphuric acid. In charging theextinguisher, the bicarbonate of soda is mixed with the water and abottle of sulphuric acid is positioned within the shell of theextinguisher. The soda-acid extinguisher is operated by inverting it sothat the acid will react with the bicarbonate of soda solution toproduce carbon dioxide gas which acts as an expelling agent to propelthe mixture to a fire. By reason of variations in the components andbecause of improper mixing, the expelled fluid may contain an excess ofacid or of soda, and in any event, the fluid will contain a sulphate ofsodium resulting from the reaction. The fluid, thus, in some cases, maycause damage to some materials which would be undamaged by contact withwater alone.

Furthermore, the recharging of the soda-acid extinguisher presents somedifiiculties to inexperienced personnel and is somewhat hazardous byreason of the handling of the acid. In addition the extinguisher shouldbe periodically recharged with fresh acid and soda mixture toassureproper operation in an emergency.

The foregoing difficulties and disadvantages are overcome by theextinguisher using solely'water as the extinguishing fluid and in whichthe expelling agent is generally carbon dioxide stored under pressure ina gas cartridge, the gas being released by actuating a discharge head topuncture a frangible disc closing the gas cartridge. The waterextinguisher is economical in maintenance inasmuch as the periodicinspection does not necessitate recharging of the extinguisher and onlyinvolves an inspection as to the water level in the container and aweighing of the gas cartridge to ascertain whether the gas charge hasleaked out. Obviously, the maintenance of the water extinguisher may besafely performed by inexperienced personnel at low cost.

The present invention aims to overcome the difliculties anddisadvantages of the soda-acid extinguisher by providingan adapter forconversion to a water extinguisher.

In accordance with the invention this is accomplished by providing anadapter assembly to be secured in an opening to be made in the closuremember of the sodaacid extinguisher.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and from the accompanying drawing which shows, byway of examples, embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of an adapter in accordance withthe invention. The pressurizing cartridge is shown partly broken awayand the closure member and a portion of the container of theextinguisher are shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the inventionin which the body member of the adapter is made in two portions.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of theinvention in which the adapter is made in two portions with anintermediate insulating portion therebetween.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown in Figure l the dotted outlineof an extinguisher 1 fitted with an adapter 2 in accordance with theinvention. The extinguisher 1 is of the conventional type including asheet metal container 4 having a filling opening flange 5 to which isscrewed the conventional ring handle closure member 6. While the adapteris intended for use as a conversion unit, it may, of course, also beused in a new construction. When using the adapter as a conversion unit,the usual soda-acid extinguisher 1 is opened and the closure member 6made with an opening 7 positioned approximately in the center of theclosure member. The usual acid bottle supporting means is discarded.

The adapter 2 is comprised of a body member 9 having a passage 10therethrough in which is positioned a puncturing member 11 having at itsouter end a cap 12. At the lower end of the body member 9 is an enlargedportion 14 providing supporting means for the gas pressurizing cartridge15.

As shown in Figure 1, the body member 9 may be made in one piece oftubular material having an outer diameter of the size of the enlargedlower portion 14. By suitable machining operations, the passage 16 isformed with its lower end 16 of one diameter while its intermediateportion 17 is made of reduced diameter and of a size to slideablyreceive the puncturing member 11, and the upper end of the passage 10 isenlarged as indicated at 19 to provide space for a spring 20 adapted toyieldingly hold the puncturing member 11 in the upward position. Theexterior of the body member 9 at its intermediate portion is threaded asindicated at 21. The upper end of the outer surface of the body member 9is made of reduced diameter as indicated at 22 to slideably receive adepending edge or skirt 24 of the cap member 12. The dimensions of theparts are so arranged that the outer diameter of the skirt 24 of the cap12 is no greater than the diameter of the threaded portion 21 so thatthe adapter may be assembled prior to insertion in the opening 7 of theclosure member.

The enlarged lower portion 14 of the body member 9 is made with ashoulder 25 preferably recessed as indicated at 26 to receive a gasket27 adapted to contact the under side of the closure member 6 to providea leak proof seal. The enlarged lower portion 14 is made of an enlargeddiameter to receive an insulating bushing memher 3% which may be securedin position in any suitable manner, as by inwardly spinning its edge 31.

The insulating bushing 30 is shown and described in my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 248,111, filed September 25, 1951, now PatentNo. 2,702,600 dated February. 22, 1955. The inner surface of theinsulating bushing 39 is threaded as indicated at 32 to receive aclosure fitting 34 for the cartridge 15. The closure member 34 engageswith neck 35 of the cartridge 15 which has as its upper edge an annularsealing surface 36 against which is positioned a frangible sealing disc37 secured in position by a ring nut 39 threadedly engaging with theinner surface of the closure member 34. The pressure fluid stored withinthe cartridge 15 is adapted to be released upon the rupture of thesealing disc 37. The pressure fluid discharge from the cartridge ismetered through a downwardly depending member 40 having at its lower endan orifice 41, a construction which is shown and described inapplication Serial No. 137,847, filed January 10, 1950,

3 by Frank B. Allen, now Patent No. 2,684,180, issued July 20, 1954.

The puncturing member 11 is shown in application Serial No. 167,220,filed June 9, 1950, by Frank B. Allen, now Patent No. 2,610,693, issuedSeptember 16, 1952 and is preferably a one-piece member having an outerend laterally apertured to receive a pin 42 to secure the cap member 12.The intermediate portion of the puncturing member 11 is enlarged asindicated at 44 and made with an annular groove 46 to receive an O-typegasket 47. The lower end of the puncturing member 11 is reduced indiameter as indicated at 49 and made with an extension tip 50 having apointed end 51 to facilitate the rupture of the sealing disc 37.

A name plate disc 54 is apertured so as to slip over the body portion 9and may be inscribed with operating and refilling instructions for theoperation of the extinguisher. A ring nut 55 is adapted to engage thethreaded portion 21 of the body member 9 and abut against the name platedisc 54 to hold the assembly in position in the closure member 6 of theextinguisher.

In the operation of the extinguisher, it is inverted and the cap member12 struck against a firm surface to urge the puncturing tip 51 torupture the sealing disc 37 to release the sttored pressure medium topressurize the extinguishing fluid to expel it from the container 4.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 2 in whichcorresponding parts are identified with the same numerals as in Figure 1with the addition of 100. The adapter 102 shown in Figure 2 differs fromthe adapter 2 in that it may be made in two parts so as to economize inmaterial. The upper portion 160 may be made from stock having the samediameter as the threaded portion 121 while lower portion 162 is madefrom stock of larger diameter. In order that the parts may be attachedtogether, the upper portion 160 is recessed as indicated at 164 andthreaded to engage the inner surface of upper end 165 of the lowerportion 162. Preferably, the upper edge of the lower portion 162 and thebottom of the upper portion 160 are formed with a matching invertedV-shaped, cross-sectional surface 166 to provide a leak-proof connectionbetween the parts. With the construction of the adapter 102, illustratedin Figure 2, a

somewhat different construction may be utilized to substitute for thering nut 55 of Figure 1 in that an annular collar 155 may be madeintegrally with the part 160 or alternately may be made as an annularring secured in position by a pin, by welding, or by a friction fit. In

the event these alternative constructions are used, the

adapter may be secured in position in a closure member 106 by separatingthe parts 160 and 162 and reassembling them in position within theopening in the closure member 106.

In Figure 3 another embodiment of the invention is and of a size toengage with the usual closure fitting of a pressure cartridge.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that otherembodiments may be resorted to without departing from the invention.Therefore, the form of the invention set out above should be consideredas illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

An adapter for use to convert a soda-acid type fire extinguisher havingan opening of predetermined size in its cover member to a stored gaspressurized type fire extinguisher, the adapter comprising a unitaryassembly including a generally cylindrically shaped body member having apassage therethrough, the body member of a diameter fitting the openingof predetermined size in the extinguisher cover member, the body wallthickened intermediate its ends forming an apertured partitionseparating the passage into outer and inner portions, the inner end ofthe body member enlarged forming a shoulder adapted to bear against theinside of the fire extinguisher cover, the inner end of the body memberthreaded and aadpted to support a gas cartridge, vent means in the bodymember above the gas cartridge for the release of fluid therefrom, thebody member having an outer end of reduced diameter, an operating memberslidably carried in the body member and extending through the aperturedpartition, an upwardly directed portion of the operating memberextending outwardly from the outer end of the body member, a puncturingtip at the inner end of the operating member, a cap member, means tosecure the cap member to the operating member extension, the cap memberhaving a depending portion slidably guided by the reduced outer end ofthe body member, the outer diameter of the cap member no greater thanthe diameter of the body member thus adapted to pass through the openingin the cover member, a spring abutting at one end against the aperturedpartition and at its other end against the underside of the cap memberyieldingly holding the puncturing tip away from the gas cartridge whichit is adapted to puncture, the outer surface of the body memberthreaded, and a ring nut adapted to engage the threaded outer surface ofthe body member whereby the unitary assembly is adapted to be secured inposition in the fire extinguisher cover member opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,890,140 Badger Dec. 6, 1932 1,976,467 Wheeler Oct. 9, 1934 2,077,872Boyd Apr. 20, 1937 2,118,593 Dodelin May 24, 1938 2,159,168 MacGregor 1-May 23, 1939 2,211,849 Dodelin Aug. 20, 1940 2,610,693 Allen Sept. 16,1952 2,684,180 Allen July 20, 1954 2,702,600 Allen Feb. 22, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 213,325 Great Britain of 1924

